Pneumatic bumper

ABSTRACT

An inflatable bumper for a vehicle which includes an elongated frame having an upper and a lower projecting lip and an inflatable tube of substantially &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;H&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; cross-sectional configuration including forward and rearward air chambers. The opposing lips of the frame extend between the chambers to hold the tube in place. An alternate embodiment includes a plurality of accordion-like lateral folds across the upper and lower surface of the front chamber to facilitate its resilient compression under collision conditions.

United States Patent 1 1 Novak et a1.

PNEUMATIC BUMPER Inventors: Andrew Novak, 3030 West Ridgeway; LawrenceL. Novak, 2201 Welch Boulevard, both of Flint, Mich. 48504; Mick Novak,12248 West Mount Morris Road, Flushing, Mich. 48458 Filed: June 21, 1971Appl. No.: 154,974

US. Cl. 293/71P, 267/1 16, 267/122,

1 3 267/140 Int. Cl. B601 19/10, Fl6f 9/10 Field of Search 293/71 R, 71P, DIG. 1,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Wilfert 116/28 June 26, 1973278,007 5/1883 Garsed 24/125 2,959,146 1l/196O Erkert ..114/219 PrimaryExaminer-James B. Marbert Assistant Examiner-Robert SaiferAtt0rney-Robert C. Hauke, Harry R. Dumont et al.

[57] ABSTRACT An inflatable bumper for a vehicle which includes anelongated frame having an upper and a lower projecting lip and aninflatable tube of substantially H crosssectional configurationincluding forward and rearward air chambers. The opposing lips of theframe extend between the chambers to hold the tube in place. Analternate embodiment includes a plurality of accordion-like lateralfolds across the upper and lower surface of the front chamber tofacilitate its resilient compression under collision conditions.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PNEUMATIC BUMPER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe field to which this invention relates is that of safety bumpers forvehicles such as automobiles. More specifically, it relates to bumperswhich incorporate inflatable elements which themselves tend to absorbthe shock of a collision and prevent it from being transmitted to thevehicle. The bumper according to this invention may be mounted on eitherthe forward or the rearward end of the vehicle, or, preferably, on both.Various prior art bumpers of the pneumatic type are known, but thesegenerally may be characterized as incorporating a single tube or airchamber of the tire type which is mounted transversely on the bumperframe and retained in place through a bead or like structural element.The shock and impact absorbing characteristics of such devices arelimited. The bumper constructed in accordance with the teachings of thepresent invention makes it possible for a vehicle to withstand impact atspeeds ranging up to m.p.h. without incurring any substantial damage tothe vehicle. Where there is destruction of parts, it is normallyconfined to the elements of the bumper. It will be seen that thereplacement of such elements is relatively inexpensive, particularlywith regard to the inflatable elements which normally extend somewhatforwardly of the metal frame and absorb most of the impact and shock.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION manner as to further dampen and absorb theshock re- The present invention involves a double chamber pneumaticbumper in which the shock impact is less- BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THEDRAWINGS The following specification will make particular reference tothe appended drawings in which like numerals are used to designateidentical parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing the bumper as it is attached to thefront of a motor vehicle, which is disclosed only in part;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the bumper of FIG. 1 taken along thesection lines 2--2;

FIG 3 is a front elevational view of the bumper of FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of thisinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1, a bumper 10 is shownas it is mounted at the forward end of a motor vehicle 12. The bumper 10is mounted securely in place on the vehicle by a pair of spaced brackets14 and 16. The bumper 10 further includes as its major elements ametallic frame 18 and a forwardly extending pneumatic tube 20. Air isintroduced under pressure to the tube 20 through a suitable valve means.

FIG. 2 shows the detail of the construction of the bumper l0 andparticularly of the pneumatic tube 20 and of the frame 18 which retainsthe tube in place.

The tube 20 is preferably formed of a cord and rubber material andincludes a forward chamber 22 and a rearward chamber 24. It will benoted that the forward chamber 22, which receives the initial shock ofcollision, is somewhat larger in cross-sectional size than the rearwardchamber 24.

The frame 18 has a closed rearward portion and includes an upper lip 26which extends downwardly toward an opposed lower lip 28. It will be seenthat the lips 26 and 28 operate to retain in place the pneumatic tube20. This makes it possible to readily assemble the bumper 10 parts. Inthe event the replacement of a ruptured tube 20 becomes necessary, thetube 10 is threaded in a non-inflated condition crosswise into thebumper frame 18 between the lips 26 and 28 and then inflated. It willfurther be seen that the lips 26, 28 are preferably fabricated from adeflectable material, such as spring steel, to permit their bendingalong with the movement of the tube 20. After the initial shock, thelips 26, 28 are restored to their original vertically orientedpositions. In this way, the shock of a collision is normally compensatedfor without causing any permanent deformation or damage to the frame 18itself. It will further be seen that there is provided a resistance tothe rearward movement of the lips 26 and 28 through the second andrearward chamber 24 in such ceived at the front of the bumper 10.

FIG. 3 shows the bumper 10 as it is viewed from the front, with the edgeof the frame 18 protruding both above and below the tube 20. The forwardchamber 22 of the tube 20 extends frontwardly in advance of the frame 18when the bumper is assembled and placed into its inflated position. Itwill further be seen that the tube 20 extends throughout a length whichis substantially the same as the overall length of the frame 18.

An alternate embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in thedrawing of FIG. 4. The embodiment of FIG. 4 differs from the embodimentshown in FIGS. 1-3, particularly with respect to the mode ofconstruction and design of the forward chamber of the tube 20. The frame19 likewise differs from the frame 18 shown in connection with the firstembodiment. With respect to the forward chamber 20, it includes acentral chamber 22a which is somewhat smaller in size than the forwardchamber 22 as was illustrated in FIG. 2. There are included in theperiphery of the forward chamber 20 a plurality of laterally extendingconvolutions or accordion-like folds. The upper folds are identified bythe numeral 30. Included in each of the folds 30 is a transundercompression near its central and forwardly projecting portions.

As already indicated, the frame 19 additionally has been somewhatmodified as compared to the first embodiment. Included in the frame 19are the upper lip 26 and the lower lip 28 which have the like functionof retaining in place the pneumatic tube 20. In the FIG. 4

embodiment, it will be seen that the height of the forward chamber 20,as measured from each upper fold 30 to its corresponding lower fold 31,is somewhat greater than the height of the frame 19. This permits thecollapsible chamber 20 to be readily deflected and folded around or overthe upper and lower edges of the frame 19 without breaking any portionsof that frame. The deflectable lips 26 and 28 also perform the functionof resiliently damping the shock received by the bumper.

The present invention affords a greatly improved bumper for vehicles,both with respect to the improvement of the collision absorbingcharacteristics of the bumper and with respect to the low cost offabrication of the main components required in the system. The repairand replacement of any of the parts which may be damaged on impact isreadily accomplished.

We claim:

1. A pneumatic bumper for a vehicle comprising an elongated frametransversely mountable at either end of said vehicle, said framecomprising an upper and a lower lip, one extending toward the other andmounted at the forward and open end of said frame; a pneumatic chambercomprising a rearward portion, said rearward portion mounted betweensaid lips and the ear of said frame, and a forward portion, said forwardportion including a plurality of transverse folds having theirhorizontal axes substantially parallel to that of said frame, said foldsfurther each including a transversely extending air sac in communicationwith said forward chamber portion for receiving air displaced from saidforward portion of said chamber responsive to impact of an objectthereagainst, and a central recessed portion included in the frontsurface of said forward chamber portion, said recessed portionsubstantially coextensive with the length of said forward chamberportion.

2. A pneumatic bumper for a vehicle comprising a closed frame attachableto one end of the vehicle, said frame including an upper and lowertransverse lip extending one towards the other; a pneumatic tubeextending substantially coextensive in length with said frame, said tubeincluding a forward and a rearward chamber separated one from the otherand retained in said frame by said lips, said forward chamber includinga plurality of accordion-type folds extending transversely across thetop and bottom outer surfaces of said forward chamber, said forwardchamber having an overall width substantially larger than the width ofsaid frame.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein each of saidtransverse folds includes a central sac of relatively small dimensionthat extends across said fold in the lengthwise direction of said frameto provide flow of pressurized air into said sac from said forwardchamber responsive to impact against said forward chamber.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein there is includedacross the front surface of said for- I ward chamber a concave centralportion substantially

1. A pneumatic bumper for a vehicle comprising an elongated frametransversely mountable at either end of said vehicle, said framecomprising an upper and a lower lip, one extending toward the other andmounted at the forward and open end of said frame; a pneumatic chambercomprising a rearward portion, said rearward portion mounted betweensaid lips and the ear of said frame, and a forward portion, said forwardportion including a plurality of transverse folds having theirhorizontal axes substantially parallel to that of said frame, said foldsfurther each including a transversely extending air sac in communicationwith said forward chamber portion for receiving air displaced from saidforward portion of said chamber responsive to impact of an objectthereagainst, and a central recessed portion included in the frontsurface of said forward chamber portion, said recessed portionsubstantially co-extensive with the length of said forward chamberportion.
 2. A pneumatic bumper for a vehicle comprising a closed frameattachable to one end of the vehicle, said frame including an upper andlower transverse lip extending one towards the other; a pneumatic tubeextending substantially coextensive in length with said frame, said tubeincluding a forward and a rearward chamber separated one from the otherand retained in said frame by said lips, said forward chamber includinga plurality of accordion-type folds extending transversely across thetop and bottom outer surfaces of said forward chamber, said forwardchamber having an overall width substantially larger than the width ofsaid frame.
 3. The combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein each ofsaid transverse folds includes a central sac of relatively smalldimension that extends across said fold in the lengthwise direction ofsaid frame to provide flow of pressurized air into said sac from saidforward chamber responsive to impact against said forward chamber. 4.The combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein there is included acrossthe front surface of said forward chamber a concave central portionsubstantially coextensive in length with said forward chamber.